Well I want to thank P. Davis for his style and for the fact that he affirmed my thoughts for a correction. He was right and his confirmation of my bias saved me thousands. Mr. Davis is amoral when it comes to money. He realizes the poor are screwed but we must fight to win. A measure of sarcasm and dark humour and it is great reading. 100% right on the correction.

Chaffey

Phil...The hundred grand portfolio updates are helpful...Fun ..and have been profitable...really like em... made some nice entries into USB, KEY today... and I better add those FAZ calls tomorrow... Really glad you put that up this morning...

Becker

Nice intraday trading calls this week Phil. You have me hooked on trading SPY options analogously to your DIA moves. I paid some tuition the last few weeks but I think I have the hang of it. Don't be greedy and be happy with 0.05 to 0.10 and sometimes you're lucky with much bigger moves. Thanks for the training!

TmDecay

Phil- great call in oil this morning! Now that Im no longer studying and am back in the real world I can only check this in the morning, at lunch, and after work. Anyways, you've been killing it on oil ( even more than you usually do) so I made a point to wake up extra early and made .25 off your ‘buy oil if you're brave'recommendation. It's nice to wake up and scalp 100+ bucks before I even start my real job. You lay those golden eggs everyday Phil! I thank you for that!

Jromeha

WOW, look at DRYS go. Nice call on the entry the other week Phil. I got 200 at $6.66 and sold a 7.5 call for $.50, then on the tear today sold another 7.5 call for $1. This should puts me in at an average of $5.91 and called away at $7.5 for a profit of $300+ after commisions. Once again another Phil trade pays for this months membership.

Craigzooka

The strategy you have laid out pretty much mirrors much of my trading activity. I also mix in some momentum plays and "drop dead" bargains that come across my radar. My YTD trading profit is 63%. Back in March when Phil said "unless you think the world is coming to an end, then NOW is the time to start taking positions in Buy/Writes with the VIX so high." I jumped in with both feet - ( thanks, again Phil)

Chaps

Thanks, Phil!!! I just crushed today with it with silver (SLV) calls today, thanks to your persistent reminders of how ridiculously cheap it has become, and watching my TSLA this week $240 puts dissolve into chump change added an extra note of amusement.

Zeroxzero

Phil / TNA – On Monday you put out the TNA BCS 41/47. As I mentioned I work during market hours so on Tuesday morning on my way out the door (premarket) I put in an advanced TOS '1st trigger sequence' order to fill the BCS. I can control the entry using this method vs. the vertical entry that TOS allows for the BCS. I filled the June 41 long call but never filled the 47 short call. I let that ride into today. OMG ..TNA popped 7.5%!… the $3.60 entry is almost a double! Tomorrow will be a OCO bracket to get out of TNA before Ben speaks. I should be able to preserve 85% – 100% on the trade. For the income portfolio plays in my IRA's, doing very well… I do like collecting premium! Well done and thanks!

JFawcett

GIVE THANKS/PHIL
Have not done my 10,000 hours, but a couple of years at PSW, and moved from fishing with a single line to owner of a commercial trawler (metaphorically speaking). Now I fish with many lines. It is amazing when you go over the same information time and time again, eventually it clicks. Like planting trees; being the house, 20% sale items, selling into the excitement. and patience. I just sold an AAPL Jan 12 340/390 BCS financed by the sales of Jan 12 275 Put. The trade was put on one year ago for a net credit and exited five minutes ago for a 49 dollar per contract profit. No point in waiting till opex to see what happens, and I will just sell 10 of those VLO puts to make myself net the round 50.
I no longer worry about opex coming as I have adjusted well in time for most positions that go against me. I still make some howlers (RIMM, TBT, TRGT) but I play the percentages and my winners outdistance my losers by many miles.
I would never be in this position if it were not for Phil. He is a treasure, pure and simple. The goose that lays the golden egg if we care to listen and practice. Phil, a mighty big thank you.

Winston

Phil// Cashing out of my LT holdings have been going on for over two weeks. However, I have elected not to cash all of the holdings including my AAPL, Jan 16 Short Puts at $470 and $480. Plus, I am being opportunistic in selectively putting on those positions for beat down stocks by selling 2016 Puts. That said, YTD harvested profits now stand at $135k on a current account balance of $683K or a 19.81% YTD return. Thanks for your expertise in teaching me how to be patient, be the banker, but also not being greedy, cashing out and harvesting profits.

IHS4GOD

I want to thank you for the FREE LL trade. I This was the first spread trade for me and promised to join your service if I made money. I closed the spread last week and will be joining next week when we return home.

Captain Mogul

Phil – BTW, the new STP/LTP coupled with the income portfolio is Perfect! I do not trade all of them, very few actually since I work during market hours. However, following the trades real-time is very educational.
I did enter the ABX call if you recall, I rolled to July on that nonsense news that sent it tumbling. Out today for 110% gain (2.00 stop) not counting covering the loss from the earlier roll. Nonetheless, a good trade.
Keep it up…. Thanks

JFawcett

AMZN ... thanks Phil; boy did they run a squeeze on everyone there ... made me sweat ... scaling helped! I think AMZN has an 85 handle tomorrow ... maybe lower.

Cap

Phil, Passed a milestone today since joining 2 months ago. 25% of my account is in buy/writes, bull call spreads and disaster hedges. A majority of the trades were taken directly from your ideas or someone else`s contributions. Some were daytrades that became spreads.
That part of my account is up 30% as of today. I don`t worry about it, or mess with it much, did a few rolls etc.
Rest of the account is there to day trade, cover the writes and take advantage of opportunities.
Thanks to everyone who contributes here, what a sweet way to trade, so many opportunities.

Ben1Be

This is my first month here. Today was a money train with futures. I gained 7500 USD with KC, RB, CL, NG.
I took RB almost every direction up and down. And I only used 1 contract or maximum 2.
Thank you. I think it was a good investment to subscribe…

Kgabor

Phil – I think I finally figured out your "crystal ball" time frame. You're about 5-14 days AHEAD of what the market is going to do. It's taken me a long time to realize this, but boy it's been profitable. I go in when you recommend something at about 25% allocation, and then add to it each day it "goes the wrong way" Then BOOM, one day it's all good…. The long put list was literally exact in it's timing.

Burrben

I have to thank you for excelling yourself during this past week. I have spent a good few hours going over your notes and comments and there are so many gems on repairing and rolling trades that I have been beavering away on paying special attention to my major positions and analysing them using your approach on Tuesday. Being able to look at a group of trades on the same underlying (in this case AAPL) and taking a detached view by assessing the impact of the underlying reaching different price points was extremely reassuring.

Winston

Phil- I am a former portfolio manager and now retired. I have been following you for about six months and I now know why you have so many followers you are very insightful and knowledgeable.

Mkozberg

Once again, many muchos for the SODA trade of last week. Finally out of all three legs. I didn't want to wait for expiration tomorrow and the possible peg at $70.00, following your dictum to not get greedy.

flipspiceland

Best day ever trading the futures, thanks to Phil's excellent call this am, and his "play the laggard" instruction. Well done Phil!

Deano

PSW AC Conf: For those who may be on the bubble, I attended my first PSW LV in November. It was a real eye-opener. What I accomplished in a couple of days of exposure to Phil, Pharm, Craig, et al made my previous couple of years of hanging around the web site seem silly. If you are inclined in the slightest, you really should go. Just rubbing shoulders with other PSW members proved to be really valuable. Strictly on the basis of value, it's a great deal. You will have real time conversations with Phil and the gang and they will get to your questions and agenda items.

Mjjwo9b

Thank you Nantucket. It is hard to be a complete beginner in the market with this complicated, fast moving, and very advanced group. Phil is the Great One, but the membership is absolutely amazing! Had I known this ahead I would probably log in as "awe struck" everyday.

Coke

Phil – just wanted to say a sincere thank you for teaching me how to offset, hedge, roll, and not panic. My account is up 10% in the last two weeks, and far from panic, this is becoming great fun. Thanks again,

Deano

Phil, have to thank you for saving me today. I think the discipline I have learned from this site has helped me as much if not more than the actual picks.

Rustle123

Hey I just did a nice options trade on LL for $800 (50%) gain thanks to this site, so… not bad for my first day! An hour of reading you guys and I already paid for two months subscription! Thank you!

lchu

I have been a member of Phil's site for three years and counting, and my advice is that all investing takes time. There are o shortcuts, no secret way to riches. Same with Phil's site- you need time and patience to start benefitting fully from his advice. But it is often spot on and also very useful, especially to me as I try to keep a level head in this turbulent stock market environment.

Jordan

Phil… My portfolio, in the past few months, has acheived a high degree of stabilization. I've noticed that on up days, down days, even days, it doesn't matter, my portfolio rarely varies more than 2%. And over the long haul it just slowly increases in value. I attribute this not to investment choices, but to style. Thanks to you and others on this site I'm paying close attention to position size, delta neutrality, downside protection, and concentrating on selling premium rather than buying it. I've developed increasing patience, not having to trade daily, or even weekly. I'm concentrating on the finer points of trading, letting the profits come to me, rather than the other way around. I appreciate the help everyone here has given in getting me focused on this principle. I'm pumped!…in a calm sort of way.

Iflantheman

I'd like to wish Phil and everyone else that contributes to this board a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year. The wealth of knowledge on here is incredible, and it has greatly contributed to my understanding of markets, politics, and the world in general. This year was when Phil's teachings all seemed to click in place, and my portfolio's performance shot up, and for that I am very grateful. Thank you!

Palotay

I have been with this site since the beginning and i have learned more the past 3 years than the previous 10. Information and great commentary are abound. The traders on the site are second to none and my portfolio has benefited greatly.

Kustomz

I have been a member for over six years and I still learn something new every day. This site gives you the skills to trade without having to be spoon fed. More importantly it teaches you about risk which is WAY more important than profit. Honestly, it is not a get rich quick scheme!

CA - CA, Inc. – Shares in the provider of IT management solutions rallied to the highest level since 2005 this morning, gaining as much as 6.6% in the early going to hit $29.83. An analyst at RBC Capital Markets raised his target price on the sector perform rated stock to $30.00 from $26.00 today. Options on CA Technologies are far more active than usual today, with volume in excess of 11,000 contracts versus average daily volume of around 500 contracts. June and July expiry calls also attracted heavier than usual trading traffic on Thursday, with much of the volume changing hands within minutes of the closing bell. Buyers of front month calls yesterday afternoon are seeing big overnight gains in the value of their positions today. The most-traded contracts by volume on CA yesterday were the Jun $28 strike calls. It looks like one or more traders may have purchased roughly 7,000 of the $28 calls for an average premium of $0.45 apiece. These contracts are currently trading at $1.35 each as of 11:15 a.m. ET, down from an earlier high of $2.00 in premium apiece. A burst of activity near the close of trading on Thursday occurred in the July expiry calls as well, with around 1,400 lots purchased at the $28 strike for an average premium of $0.80 each, and 500 calls picked up at each of the $29 and $30 strikes at average premiums of $0.40 and $0.20 apiece, respectively. The $28, $29 and $30 strike calls today are trading at $1.70, $1.10 and $0.65 per contract as of the time of this writing. Buyers of the bullish options yesterday have in some cases seen a three-fold increase in the value of their contracts overnight. Finally, traders positioning for shares in CA to extends gains snapped up calls on the stock straight out of the gate on Friday. Much of the volume is concentrated in the July expiry options, with calls purchased across the several in and out of the money striking prices.

GME - GameStop Corp. – Video game retailer, GameStop Corp., is in rally mode on Friday, with shares up as much as 8.2%…

TRV - The Travelers Companies, Inc. – The provider of commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services is the biggest gainer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average today, with shares up as much as 4.65% to hit a record high of $74.70, after the company reported third-quarter profits that handily beat average analyst expectations. The blowout earnings release sparked fresh bullish positioning in Travelers Cos. options this morning as some traders look for shares in the insurer to extend gains. Meanwhile, options players that snapped up TRV calls on Wednesday, prior to the earnings report, are enjoying sizable paper profits on those positions. Traders anticipating higher-highs for TRV shares by the end of this week picked up around 1,100 calls at the Oct. $75 strike for an average premium of $0.22 apiece. These contracts have one full trading day remaining until expiration, and may be profitable should shares in TRV settle above the average breakeven price of $75.22 by end of day Friday. Upside call buying spread to the November expiry options where $75 and $77.5 strike calls are most active. Traders purchased around 600 calls at each strike in the first half of the session for average premiums of $0.95 and $0.30 apiece, respectively, and may profit at November expiration in the event that TRV shares settle above breakeven prices at $75.95 and $77.80. Paper profits on positions initiated Wednesday afternoon are available for the buyer or buyers of 800 of the Oct. $72.5 strike call at an average premium of $0.15 apiece. The now deep in-the-money $72.5 strike call currently displays a last-traded price of $1.70 per contract, an 11-fold overnight-increase in the value of those options. Finally, some strategists appear to be purchasing downside protection, notably the Nov. $72.5 and $75 strike put, perhaps to lock in gains on the impressive 25% increase in Travelers shares since June.

UBS - UBS AG – Switzerland’s largest bank said it may be unprofitable in the third quarter due to the staggering $2 billion in trading losses one of its employees racked up in unauthorized dealing. The news sent shares in UBS down as much as 11.6% to a two-year low of $11.21, but options traders appear to have largely shrugged off concerns and are betting on a rebound in the price of the underlying. Call buying and put selling on the stock appear to be the most oft-employed strategies of the day. Investors expecting shares to recover in the next five weeks picked up roughly 3,100 calls at the October $12 strike for an average premium of $0.73 each. Call buyers profit if shares in UBS rally 12.5% over the stock’s current price of $11.32 to exceed the average breakeven point at $12.73 by expiration day next month. Meanwhile, put sellers targeted the October $10, $11 and $12 strikes, suggesting some investors expect shares to exceed those levels through October expiration. Traders pocketed an average premium of $1.27 per contract on the sale of roughly 615 puts at the October $12 strike. Premium received is money in the bank for sellers of the options as long as the contracts expire worthless next month. Longer-dated calls drew some attention, as well. Investors snapped up around 2,000 calls at the December $12 strike for an average premium of $1.10 each. Traders may see the value of these calls appreciate if shares in UBS reverse course over the next few months to December expiration. The positions are profitable at expiration if shares exceed the effective breakeven price of $13.10.

HANS - Hansen Natural Corp. – Earlier in the month the manufacturer of fruit juice and smoothies handsomely beat Wall Street’s earnings estimate by 20%. The distributor of Monster energy drink said international sales were doing well especially in Europe. During the past 12 months its share price has performed as a good bellwether for its revenue growth with shares jumping from $40 to $73.79 ahead of quarter one results. Before that one savvy investor showed up in the options market using calls at the $75 strike in an effort to profit from better times ahead. The investor paid $1.80 for 5,000 calls reserving the right to pay a fixed $75 to buy the stock ahead of expiration in September. It appears today that the investor is pushing his expectations higher following an accurate call last month. Spread trading in the name today shows the sale of those calls at a stimulated premium of $4.18 for a healthy 132% gain as the investor rolls in to the $80 strike at a $2.60 premium in the same calendar month today.

SWKS - Skyworks Solutions Inc. – A warning from an analyst at Deutsche Bank on Monday exacerbated a retreat from the sky for wireless chip-maker, Skyworks. Its options were among the most actively traded on Monday with almost four puts trading for each call in action. Yet the picture wasn’t entirely bearish. Deutsche Bank warned that its channel research left it concluding that when the credits roll out for Apple’s iPhone 5 in the fall, the Skyworks logo will be conspicuous by its absence. And as if the loss of sales wasn’t enough, Deutsche Bank warns that according to the outcome of meetings with its Asian contacts, the company has aggressively entered a price war to…

FXI – iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund – Shares of the FXI, an exchange-traded fund that seeks investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index, which is an index consisting of 25 of the largest and most liquid Chinese companies, fell 1% during the trading day to stand at $41.88. The slight decline in the price of the underlying shares did not, however, deter one options investor from initiating a large bullish transaction in the August contract. It looks like the trader enacted a plain-vanilla debit call spread to position for a sharp rally in the fund’s share price by expiration. The investor purchased 10,000 calls at the August $45 strike for a premium of $1.38 each, and sold the same number of calls at the higher August $50 strike for $0.40 apiece. Net premium paid for the spread amounts to $0.98 per contract. Therefore, the bullish player stands ready to accrue maximum potential profits of $4.02 per contract in the event that shares of the FXI rally more than 19.3% to exceed $50.00 by expiration day in August. The trader starts making money if the China fund’s shares surpass the effective breakeven share price of $45.98 in the next several months to expiration.

CDNS – Cadence Design Systems, Inc. – Cadence Design Systems, a firm which licenses software, sells or leases hardware technology and provides engineering and education services, experienced a 1% rally in the value of its shares to $7.18 during the trading day. The increase in the price of the underlying shares enticed bullish investors to populate November contract options on the stock. It looks like one investor initiated a bullish stance on Cadence Design Systems by selling short 7,000 in-the-money put contracts at the November $7.5 strike for an average premium of $0.975 apiece. The put seller keeps the full amount of premium pocketed on the transaction if CDNS shares rally above $7.50 by expiration day in November. The trader is apparently happy to have shares of the underlying stock put to him at an effective price of $6.525 each should the put contracts remain in-the-money at expiration. Options implied volatility is down 10.1% to 36.15% as of 3:20 pm (ET). Cadence is slated to report its first-quarter results next week after the closing bell on April…

There is a growing push in the U.S. Congress to slap sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The pipeline under construction would carry Russian natural gas to Germany, and has been a lightning rod of controversy both in Europe and across the Atlantic. Many governments and officials from Eastern Europe fear deeper dependence on Russia for gas supplies, a sentiment echoed by the U.S. government. Meanwhile, many in Western Europe are less concerned,...

The 21st-century revolutionaries who have dominated cryptocurrencies are having to move over. Mainstream financial institutions are adopting these assets and the blockchain technology that enables them, in what ...

For March 2019 the fund was up approximately 5.5% net of all fees and expenses. By way of comparison, the S&P 500 was up approximately 1.9% while the Russell 2000 was down approximately 2.1%. Year-to-date 2019 the fund is up approximately 12.8% while the S&P 500 is up approximately 13.6% and the ...

For most people, the purpose of investing is to build up enough wealth to allow you to retire. In general, that's usually enough money to reliably generate a year's worth of your average income, each year into your retirement so that that, plus you Social Security, should be enough to pay your bills without having to draw down on your principle.

Unfortunately, as the last decade has shown us, we can't count on bonds to pay us more than 3% and the average return from the stock market over the past 20 years has been erratic - to say the least - with 4 negative years (2000, 2001, 2002 and 2008) and 14 positives, though mostly in the 10% range on the positives. A string of losses like we had from 2000-02 could easily wipe out a decades worth of gains.

The threat to America is this: we have abandoned our core philosophy. Our first principle of this nation as a meritocracy, a free-market economy, where competition drives economic decision-making. In its place, we have allowed a malignancy to fester, a virulent pus-filled bastardized form of economics so corrosive in nature, so dangerously pestilent, that it presents an extinction-level threat to America – both the actual nation and the “idea” of America.

Reminder: OpTrader is available to chat with Members, comments are found below each post.

This post is for all our live virtual trade ideas and daily comments. Please click on "comments" below to follow our live discussion. All of our current trades are listed in the spreadsheet below, with entry price (1/2 in and All in), and exit prices (1/3 out, 2/3 out, and All out).

We also indicate our stop, which is most of the time the "5 day moving average". All trades, unless indicated, are front-month ATM options.

Please feel free to participate in the discussion and ask any questions you might have about this virtual portfolio, by clicking on the "comments" link right below.

Phil has a chapter in a newly-released eBook that we think you’ll enjoy.

In My Top Strategies for 2017, Phil's chapter is Secret Santa’s Inflation Hedges for 2017.

This chapter isn’t about risk or leverage. Phil present a few smart, practical ideas you can use as a hedge against inflation as well as hedging strategies designed to assist you in staying ahead of the markets.

Note: The material presented in this commentary is provided for
informational purposes only and is based upon information that is
considered to be reliable. However, neither PSW Investments, LLC d/b/a PhilStockWorld (PSW)
nor its affiliates
warrant its completeness, accuracy or adequacy and it should not be relied upon as such. Neither PSW nor its affiliates are responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of this information. Past performance, including the tracking of virtual trades and portfolios for educational purposes, is not necessarily indicative of future results. Neither Phil, Optrader, or anyone related to PSW is a registered financial adviser and they may hold positions in the stocks mentioned, which may change at any time without notice. Do not buy or sell based on anything that is written here, the risk of loss in trading is great.

This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security or other financial instrument. Securities or other financial instruments mentioned in this material are not suitable for all investors. Any opinions expressed herein are given in good faith, are subject to change without notice, and are only intended at the moment of their issue as conditions quickly change. The information contained herein does not constitute advice on the tax consequences of making any particular investment decision. This material does not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situations or needs and is not intended as a recommendation to you of any particular securities, financial instruments or strategies. Before investing, you should consider whether it is suitable for your particular circumstances and, as necessary, seek professional advice.